I just joined yelp to write this review because my experience a few days ago at the Whaler was RIDICULOUS. I'm a regular at the Whaler and have been going for almost 10 years but after recent events this past thursday I will NEVER be back and NEVER tell anyone to go here again... Here's what happened...
A group of about 6 of us were out all night celebrating a friend's engagement and the Whaler was our last stop which is normally not a bad choice. We love being right on the beach and even though it isn't the most modern and clean dive bar on the block, we love the atmosphere and drinks are usually good.
After being there for about an hour, we all went to the bathroom together (which I must say is interesting with the mirrors being separate from the bathrooms but it never bothered me). On the way back up to the top floor we see a bartender who recently served us drinks yelling at customers on the way down the stairs for something that was clearly a personal matter and yelling things that were completely inappropriate (later found out his name is BRANDON). Thinking nothing of it, we walked our way back upstairs and passed him. After he was done, he stormed off and ran RIGHT into my girlfriend, spilling her drink all over her and causing her to drop her glass (which magically didn't break for some reason). He just KEPT WALKING without even acknowledging it or saying sorry or replacing the drink or anything. I was completely in shock...
Of course I walk up to him immediately after and ask him what the hell is going on to which he replied "I'm on break don't fucking talk to me!" and slaps my hand away. This in itself is grounds for a lawsuit (which I will be following through with) and I've never been treated so poorly by someone who is supposed to be in the customer service business. We eventually complained to a manager and the entire staff who didn't seem surprised that this happened and that they had received complaints about him before!! WTF!!!! How does he still have a job? WHY IS HE NOT FIRED!??! All we got was a sorry and immediately walked out vowing to never return to the Whaler and I will absolutely never be back. I will be following up with the Whaler about this but still will never be back, go somewhere else on the block where they treat you like human beings and keep their personal lives out of the workplace.
SO LAME! Just a shame! Â
The new owners have RUINED the Whaler!!! Â I've been going here for over 20 years...when it was Big Dean's 2 and I forget what it was called before that. Â This place used to rock, but now with all the out new rules and the the "dress code", read: no hats, etc. Â THIS IS A BEACH BAR!!!! Â WHAT DO THEY EXPECT????
I will never got back!!! Go to the Terrace or Hinanos instead.
Also, the people who work there ALL SUCK!!! Go home Valley, Euro Trash!!! The door guys are complete ass*holes. Â The food is awful
Again, go to the Terrace or Hinanos instead.
AVOID THE WHALER....BOO!
Been here a couple of times now and both times have been positive experiences. Drinks aren't bad, prices arent crazy, Right by the beach, both times I've been there they had live music . Some dude was playing cool songs with his guitar last night and he was pretty good. We ordered a veggie wrap and it wasn't all that great so I'm not sure about the food here but overall its a pretty chill place, id come back here again.
Review Source:I have to say, My boyfriend and I were very disappointed  by the way this place is run. When we first walked up I asked the bouncer if he know if it was open seating or if we had to wait for a hostess since we had never been there before and wasn't quite sure what to do. He gave me a very nasty look and just kept staring at me for several awkward seconds before he rudely asked me for my ID, which i gave him. Then he just waved us on, not even attempting to answer my question. So we walk inside and it was so chaotic we just assumed we sat ourselves, it took us about 10 minutes and a question to the table next to us to figure out we had to order at the bar. We got our drinks (watered down beer) and our nachos (which were actually the only good part we experienced here) and sat down to relax.  Soon a girl who (i think) worked there, it was hard to tell because everyone working there was dressed quite whorish, was walking around passing out free shots of tequila. As she walked up to our table and asked us if we wanted one, I was about to say yes when I'm guessing her friends called her to the other side of the bar. Completely ignoring us and the fact that SHE asked US a question, she walked away and never came back. We got out of there as quickly as possible, nothing good came of this place and we are for sure bever coming back.
Review Source:Staff could be a wee bit friendler ... and by "wee bit," I mean that if you do not have male parts and are going to a female bartender -- do not expect to be served pre-penis customers.
Crowd is mostly out-o-towners.
& watch your bank statement -- interestingly enough the charge on my card was more than what I had signed for (and I tip well). Â Not cool.
DISGRACE TO VENICE. Â Got kicked out of the bar last night for wearing a hat. Â After buying a round of drinks. Â "I'm sorry I'll take my hat off." No they kicked me out even though I had my tab open. I said I wanted to close it. Â "Close it tomorrow". Â What kind of place is this? F the Whaler go to Hinanos.
AND TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY. They just overcharged my credit card.
The food is decent and the drinks are cool but you better check your credit card statement because chances are, your waitress added a fat tip for herself. Just call your bank because The Whaler never answers the phone and the email address on the website doesn't work.
I WILL NOT BE BACK.
Location, Location, Location!
The Whaler, located at the intersection of Washington Blvd. and the Pacific ocean, has one of the best outdoor patios for drinking within a five mile radius. Â Looking over the beach and street, the upstairs patio provides the costumer with the feeling that they are drinking right on the beach.
Besides location, I found the bar just fair. Â Its definitely crowded. Â I found my whiskey sour to taste too much like simple syrup. Â Beer selection is fair, no expert will be impressed.
The location of the bar trumps all the negatives and will keep me and others coming back. Â With a location like theirs, one would really have to try to have a failing bar. Â I'm pretty sure even Steve from Headhunterz (bar in Austin, TX on Bar Rescue) couldnt mess this one up with the prime location they have here.
The food isn't great, but none of the other places on the pier can beat the beachfront view on the second floor. My girlfriend and I live within walking distance and often come here over Cabo Cantina because the staff is cooler, the music is a little more tolerable (great when they're playing 90's hip hop) and well... I guess the crowd is significantly less douche. We get the occasional a-hole gawking at us shamelessly because we're a lesbian couple, but the friendly, respectful patrons outweigh the douche. I can't say the same about Cabo Cantina.
The place tends to get crowded on weekend nights, sometimes resulting in a line. Come here for a few bloodies and brewskies during brunch or sunset.
This place is in a prime location on the beach with a great view with an outdoor patio. Music is typical top 40/dance/hip hop and drinks are priced to match the location. Attracts a pretty diverse crowd and is a great place to hit for happy hour especially on the weekends. Will be back the next time I'm in the area.
Review Source:Sunday Funday wouldn't be the same without stopping by the Whaler for their Sunday Night Karaoke Party. If you're into people watching - this is the time and place to do it. Â Also a great bar to hang out at for day drinking, especially on a weekday during happy hour. The bartenders are super nice, and the crowd is always DTP - Down To Party!
Review Source:Didn't even know what this place was called when we stumbled inside. Chill atmosphere, friendly servers, good amount of drinks. It gets loud, especially when douchebags like me use the jukebox to play a bunch of house and floor-fillers. Because I'm a diva and whatever bro. It's like the first spot you come across if you park in the convenient lot at the end if Washington, so a couple stars for convenience. Take away a couple for meh food items. We had 8 people and ordered a dozen things. All were rather generic. Think Barney's but a tiny bit shittier.
I don't know if the name has some kind of meaning for people who fish or surf or... uhh... whale-stuff, but it makes me think of some kind of creepy spot to pick up fat chicks. That's what I'd call myself if I was really into that - Andy, the Whaler. (This does not contribute any stars, nor does it prevent any stars from being awarded.)
What a great place for boisterous day-drinking. Â Cool waitresses and bartenders are hustling & bustling, but you'll still wait a while because of the crowd on the upper deck. Â Whatever - you're hanging out in the sun drinking -- cool your jets! Â The food is surprisingly adequate, and breakfast more than so. Â Get a bucket of beers and some appetizers & watch the sun set. Â It's going to be noisy. Â
There is a downstairs, but I don't know why you'd ever go there. Â Hit the sun deck.
I went to this place on Friday night with a friend who goes there often. It's a nice little spot and I had a great time. The only downside was the lady bartender at the bar on the first floor.... She made terrible drinks. I did not know you could mess up vodka cranberry or vodka red bull.. But she did.
Review Source:I go here all the time. I live down the street and I like walking here because I feel safe walking back at night from Washington. Â It's convenient and walking distance and when you're a woman walking at night, you don't feel as sketched out as if you're walking North of Venice Blvd. on Pacific.
I love this place because I utilize this place for a variety of reasons:
1. Coffee before a surf
2. Lunch after surf
3. Day drinking
4. Late night drunk grub
5. Partayin'
Sometimes all in one day LOL.
I must admit though the crowd is always random. Â You never know what you're going to get. You get all sorts here. ALL SORTS haha. Â
I would have just given this 4 stars, because of course I am a fan. Â I give it 5 for the crew that works here because they have been nothing but friendly and fun.
They're the reason I come back consistently.
I do have one warning though, this has also been the one place I've been to at night and find myself just getting completely hammed. Â We all have that one place that does that for us, and this place is mine hahaha. Upstairs is great for music and drunk dancing....just don't dance on the barstools, they do not like that. TRUST ME.
Out of all the things though, what makes it for me is the outdoor seating in the front. Â Great for people watching and I can come straight here from surfing and no one looks at you weird because you're getting their furniture all wet and you come in looking like a hot mess from the water. Â
Thank you to the Whaler, for never judging me when I come out of the water with snot running down my face to my drunken dancing. Â Very much appreciated.
My husband and I love this local beach bar/ restaurant. We usually go here at least once a week just to hang out with the locals and grab some drinks and a bit to eat.
The ocean view is fantastic and the staff always make us feel very welcome. Props to bartenders Kara, June, Thomas, Tim and Keeli (they all have the patience of saints). Actually, we've NEVER had a bad server/ bartender at this location.
The food is pretty standard bar fare and the drinks are strong.
Parking is great at night ($4 for the lot right next door at nights); however, we can actually walk here from where we live.
Whaler is either hopping during certain times on the weekends or it's more low key say on Tuesday nights, so there is an atmosphere for everyone here.
As it is a bit on the more expensive side for a local watering hole (I think we are paying for the view; strong drinks and AWESOME service which is WORTH it), consider attending happy hour which is from 4 to 7 PM weeknights. It used to be until 8 PM so we can't quite make the shorter happy hour, but we still love to come here nonetheless. They also instituted a late night happy hour which starts at 10 PM on weekends, but being the old farts that my hubby and I are, we are always gone by then.
All the bouncers and patrons are very friendly. I recommend you check this place out!
Great spot.
Came here last Saturday afternoon to try some drinks and check the place out.
It's a Venice and LA staple. Must see place on Venice Beach.
Bartenders were very nice. Blonde and brunette at the downstairs bar were super friendly and made some pretty cool drinks.
Bouncers were also very cool.
Side note: the bathrooms are neat! Both men and women share a sink and the bathrooms are individual. Very cool.
The decor of the place is eyeopening. Celeb pictures and rock legends line the walls and ceiling. I enjoyed gazing around this place.
There weren't a lot of people when I went there but I heard this place can get pretty crazy. I want to check it out on a Saturday night in the heart of summer.
PROS: Outdoor patio
-Great service
-Nifty drinks
-Great location
-By the beach!
-Friendly
-Beachy
CONS: Downstairs is kinda small
-Not too cheap
I suggest you check this place out in the summer.
Best,
Sean
I only come here for karaoke nights with some old friends. When they renovated they did a good job on making the downstairs area feel much more open, less 'basement-like' and the added windows help with the stuffiness inside. Only thing is they don't really open those windows because the surrounding neighbors always complain about the noise-level. Hmm... then why do they bother living right next to 6-8 bar and restaurants (guaranteed loud) and especially one that is known for their karaoke nights (guaranteed even louder)?
Drinks are not so bad, they pour stiff. Not a completely full bar by any means, but they have what it takes to relax your nerves if you are the nervous karaoke singer type. The music choices are awesome, sometimes hard to find songs because they only provide it printed on a sorted alphabetically by title only. What if I only remember the Artist? And there's nothing better than belting out ballads with friends, and have the occasional fun sing-a-longs with strangers at the bar.
Two words "Bro Nation." Â It was a bar that you could find anywhere...anywhere I wouldn't I want to go.
Since the lowest rating you can give a place is one star, I'll say it is for being on the pier.
So many backwards baseballs caps....
The waitress was incredibly rude to my friend. I'm guessing that being nice might benefit your bank account if you work in the service industry. Just a guess.
I'm pretty sure I've had more fun standing in line at Trader Joe's.
We just moved to Marina del Rey and were looking for a few good spots close to our new place. The problem is we moved on a Sunday which meant our first mission was finding good places on a weekday which can always be a bit of a challenge no matter where you go.
I looked for bars/nightlife on Google and found the Whaler so thought we would give it a shot on a Tuesday night. We were very surprised to find the place packed, music playing and drinks flowing.
The outdoor patio is great and you can't beat the location. I haven't been during the day yet but I'm sure the view is even more spectacular when you can see the ocean. I found the staff to be incredibly nice and helpful.
Of course I am reviewing this as a local pub/bar not as a fine dining destination. If you're in the area and want to grab a beer or two and some Pizza The Whaler should definitely be on your short list.
This is a sports/dive bar so I'm reviewing it as such. I thought the food was good and the drinks were very inexpensive. The bartenders were BOTH very attentive which is rare (probably didn't hurt that I wasn't buying cheap beer or well drinks). And I received smiles from all of the staff. A beer, a Tanguaray and soda and a shot of tanguaray totaled less than $20. In my books that's a steal for Venice! And the drinks are poured strong which will keep people coming back. Yes, there is a random eclectic mix of people here but it's a dive bar in Venice. Did I mention it's a dive bar in Venice ;)
Complaint- Bathroom was icky. No tp in ladies stall, dirty and there's a photograph of a fully naked chick in the stall. Lost a star for poor taste.
We came on a Thursday night for karaoke night, and the crowd was about as diverse as the music selections. There were young professionals rocking Pearl Jam, and there were guys about as old as Barry White singing something that sounded a lot like Barry White. Drinks are not cheap, though probably not super expensive given Whaler's location right on Marina del Rey Beach at the pier.
-Minus one star for the geriatric crazies harassing us about "back in their day"
-Plus one for the entertainment value of the cougars
-Minus one star for the way-too-long catalog of karaoke songs, if you don't want to listen to it, don't volunteer to let people sing to it.
-Finally, plus one star for location. Serving drinks steps from the sand is always a plus.
I first found the Whaler when I came to LA for the first time ever in 2010. To me, at the time, it was this wonderful spot right on the beach where I could hang out and drink and also go sit on the beach.
Here's what I learned: they have a special on buckets of beer. Sit upstairs with your friends and drink from the bucket of beer until you get warm. When you get too sideways, head down to the beach and sit in the sand until you get too cold (from the wind coming off the water).
Anyway, I've been back several times since then. I've learned: they have cool bartenders, good food to snack on (that has gotten better since they renovated the downstairs area), and plenty of locals.
Of course, it IS on Venice Beach so you expect the usual downsides to any of the bars in this area: weird people, smells like beach, etc.
I went to Venice Beach with two friends and decided to eat here after walking the whole boardwalk. My friend recommended this place for their fish & chips, and I have to say that it is among the best fish & chips I've ever had. The skin wasn't too thick or oily, keeping the taste of the fish light. The fish itself was cooked amazingly, tender and juicy. The form and texture of the fish remained, and you could tell that it wasn't frozen or carelessly prepared. I loved the delicate taste and feel of their fish, and was tempted to order another one after. Their sweet potato fries are also delicious, made in house and to a crisp. However, I would've liked them to be a bit thicker because I had a lot of slices that just felt like I was eating a bite size chip.
Other than that, the place can be very crowded, however, the servers do try to accommodate you and their service is actually pretty good for all the space they have to cover. We never once had to ask for water refills or condiments. Their servers are also very friendly and easy to approach. This is definitely a good place to try with a group of friends.
One note though, they do not allow you to order alcoholic beverages if seated outside.
Lunched here on the recommendation of a local friend. Â We parked our bikes and headed upstairs for a front row seat by View-ti-ful Venice Beach. Our friendly waitress delivered our drinks and took our order: seared Ahi tuna appetizer, chicken quesadillas, and the MDR (turkey reuben) with sweet potato fries. The tuna app was excellent - a fresh and generous portion- and served with a pineapple relish that was a sweet treat in itself. Â The quesadillas were standard and tasty, served with the classic salsa, sour cream, and guac on the side. Â The MDR was good, but not great, as I wasn't pleased with the quality of the meat. The sweet potato fries were great and overall everything was enjoyed. Â Friendly greets and good eats make this dive a must next time you're in the neighborhood.
Notes: a) There's a good lookin' breakfast menu b) The restrooms were icky c) For your convenience, there are F, M, and M/F restrooms available.
I was here twice in the last week on my visit to LA to visit some friends. Â It was two very different experiences!!
First was a Saturday afternoon around 12:30pm. Â We sat upstairs in a group of 4 and had a great time talking and just enjoying the day. Â The location is spot on and it's fun to people watch. Â Prices were a little steep, but it is right on the beach. Â
Second occasion was the next night around 9pm. Â I met up with a long time friend there to grab a drink or two before a show. Â It was extremely loud and the people there were all completely stuck up! Â All the guys seemed like they were all out to get a piece of tail, and would just block you out from the bar if you weren't a female. Â Â It took almost 15 mins to get a drink and my friend and I could barely talk due to the noise. Â
In summary, cool place during the day, not the best place at night unless you are a female who wants to get on by a lot of creepy, jersey shore like dudes!
3 stars for:
- Location (right next to the beach)
- Fun pit-stop during daytime bike rides
- Outdoor patio/great view
2 missing stars because of:
- Stuffy dance floor that smells like spilled beer and sweaty men
- Night time can get filled with douchy people
I have mixed feelings about the Whaler.
It can be really fun during the day with friends and a pit stop during Sunday afternoon bike rides.They have a medium-sized outdoor patio that overlooks the ocean, and the view of the sunset is absolutely stunning. Beers are reasonably priced, food is decent and they have a lively crowd.
But once the sun goes down, so does the Whaler.
People get pushier, the bottom floor dance floor is in high need of ventilation, and it feels really cramped. The Whaler is meant to be a daytime fun spot, not a place to dance with your girlfriends. If you must, make this a short stop but don't end your night here unless you're looking to have some creepy man literally latch himself on your back (true story).
If you're on your phone and you're looking for a daytime drinking spot - go here!
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